Chapter 1
When I opened my eyes, Kyle Miller was wrapping an arm around Charlotte Peterson’s waist.
The scene was so familiar, so vivid, it made my heart clench with a sudden, sharp pain.
Sunlight streamed through the coffee shop window, bathing them in a warm glow.
Charlotte was beaming, and Kyle’s hand was unmistakably possessive, a blatant declaration of ownership wrapped around her waist.
“Mr. Sterling? Are you alright? You look a little pale.” Emily, my secretary, pulled me back to reality.
I touched my chest. The agonizing phantom pain from my last life’s heart attack still lingered there.
I had died, then I lived again, returning to this crucial moment…
The day I first discovered Charlotte and Kyle’s affair.
And just half a month prior, Charlotte had tricked me into signing divorce papers, claiming it was for the company’s IPO and stock division. We were in the cooling-off period.
“I’m fine.” I took a deep breath.
“Let’s go say hello.”
In my previous life, when I saw this, I stormed over, furious, demanding Charlotte explain herself.
My explosive rage instantly added half a million to Kyle’s account.
Charlotte, meanwhile, looked at me like I was insane, accusing me of being “paranoid,” “making a huge deal out of nothing,” and “overly jealous.”
This time, I walked towards them with a steady pace, a polite smile plastered on my face.
“Charlotte, what a coincidence.” My voice was so calm, it even surprised me.
It seems when you stop loving someone, you gain this strange calm.
Charlotte visibly stiffened, quickly retreating half a step from Kyle.
“Blake? Why are you here? You didn’t tell me?”
“My apologies, I had a client meeting.”
After saying it, I found it almost laughable myself.
Apologizing had become a habit with Charlotte.
If her clothes weren’t ironed perfectly, I’d apologize; if the restaurant I booked wasn’t good, I’d apologize; if I failed to make a name for myself, I’d apologize.
I chuckled bitterly, shaking my head, then turned my gaze to Kyle and extended a hand. “Mr. Miller, long time no see.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Kyle’s eyes; he clearly hadn’t expected me to be so composed.
He hesitated before shaking my hand. “Mr. Sterling, good to see you.”
I felt the familiar pang in my chest, but this time, my expression didn’t change.
I knew this feeling too well.
Even after everything from my previous life, I kept telling myself not to get angry.
But with the undeniable betrayal staring me in the face, who could really control it?
“Buddy, if you like her so much, hold her tighter.”
I suddenly reached out, giving them a slight push, forcing them closer together. My voice was cheerful, as if I were genuinely wishing them well.
“You two are perfect for each other. Seriously, just lock it down.”
Charlotte’s face instantly went chalk white.
“Blake Sterling! What are you talking about!”
“Just kidding.” I shrugged. “You two carry on, my client’s waiting.”
As I turned to leave, I caught Kyle’s expression in my peripheral vision—he looked like he’d just swallowed something foul.
Back in my car, I opened my banking app, logging into an account I hadn’t used in ages.
The digits displayed on the screen made Emily, sitting in the front, gasp.
A nine-figure balance, with a string of zeros after the first digit.
“Mr. Sterling, this is…”
Emily was my personal secretary, the only subordinate who followed me to this new company.
“Just a little something I’ve been saving. Time to stir things up.” I said casually, then dialed an international number.
“Mike, I’m ready to take over the Asia operations again.”
“Excellent, Blake. Wall Street is ready for its King to return.”